Monthly Archives: October 2012

Hiatus.

October 5, 2012 – 9:50 am

Just a short one, I promise. Tomorrow, The Great Spousal Unit, The Live-In Niece, and myself are heading to sunny Sanibel Island, Florida for a week of swimming, bike riding, eating, drinking, and bolusing, probably until almost 8 o’clock every night.

Actually, I’ll probably be staying up late watching the baseball playoffs, because God knows I won’t be staying up past midnight watching once I go back to work.

Before I go, I want to say thank you to whoever nominated me for Best Advocacy in the Best of the ‘Betes Blogs in September. It’s one of those things that instantly feels really nice. Then in the next minute, you start thinking, “Wow, now I’ve got to go out and prove that I deserved it”. Well, I’ll be trying to do that, as soon as I come back.

Let me say this, however: I really enjoy reading what my fellow Type (insert your type here)’s are writing about. The stories of your lives, your experiences, your joys, your sorrows, your successes, your failures, are all very important to me. I care more about reading your blogs, hearing your podcasts, seeing your tweets, than I care to admit to the average person.

There are two take-aways for you here:

First, if you’re out there reading something via social media, be supportive. It takes guts to tell your story, warts and all. Just the effort that’s involved in that is worth your appreciation. And when you read something that moves you… let it move you, and make a comment, send an e-mail, or support a cause that’s worth fighting for.

Second, if you’re thinking about telling your story, and you haven’t yet: consider doing so. It’s actually very easy to get started, and like Sara has said before, I guarantee there is someone out there waiting to hear you and connect with what you have to say.

Finally, don’t forget to nominate early and often in the October Best of the ‘Betes Blogs categories:
– Best Use of Humor
– Best Vlog
– Best Recipe
– Best Use of Photography
– Best Advocacy
– Best Reference to a D-Celebrity
– Best Story of a D Meet-up
– Best non-D Related Post
– Best Post by a Type 1
– Best Post by a Type 2
– Best Post by a Type Awesome
– Best Post by a LADA/ Type 1.5/ Not otherwise specified
– Best story of a D-mistake
– Best Motivational Post
– Best Diabetes Art

Any posts written during the month of October are eligible (please no self-nominations). Email a nomination(s) to bestbetesblogs@gmail.com. Or send a Direct Message (don’t make my mistake and send a Tweet To The World) with your nomination(s) to the Best of the ‘Betes Blogs twitter account– @bestbetesblogs.

Time to get off of my soap box and get packing. Have a great week!
 
 
 

By StephenS | Posted in Travel | Tagged , , | Comments (3)

Random Glucose.

October 4, 2012 – 7:03 am

My day Wednesday started with a BG reading that was practically perfect in every way:

Hard to believe I wound up with 100, since I’ve been major stressed this week. But I took it as a good sign and started on breakfast. Then I went to work.

Move on to lunchtime. Only it wasn’t the normal lunchtime, because everyone at work needed a piece of me yesterday. On top of that, we’re working on a big project that goes live at the end of the month. And a long-awaited vacation is just around the corner, so I’m trying to cross as much off of my list as possible before Friday. Now, where was I? Oh yeah, my BG just before my late lunch was:

64 mg/dL

I brought my lunch with me, so I was able to eat right away. The salami & cheese sandwich and grapes were very good (but I had to brush after).

Then, of course, I went back to work, and I wound up working like a mad dog. And late too… about two hours late. I walk to the subway after work, about 1/2 mile from the office. By the time I got there, I decided to check to see how I was doing since I was late. The result: 61 mg/dL

I quickly popped a couple of candies that I had in my pocket (not a big fan of glucose tabs), and I was okay for the ride home. Of course, once I made the short drive from the station home, and then took a few minutes to say hello to everyone who was already home, my glucose was… wait for it… 67 mg/dL

A little juice, and some soup and cornbread for dinner. Finally, about 10:00 p.m., I checked one more time before bed:

144 mg/dL

What’s the moral of this story? Preparation, preparation, preparation. And don’t wait so long to eat. A few years ago, I might not have had anything extra around to help me if I was low at work. Or on my way home. I wouldn’t have stopped to test prior to getting on the train. I would have eaten when I ate, whenever that would be, if I ate at all. All of that adds up to a lot of uncertainty. I’m okay with dealing with things as I go along. But in this case, I’m not sure I would’ve liked the result.
 
 
 

By StephenS | Posted in Random Glucose | Tagged , , , | Comments (2)

A Name for Hypos.

October 2, 2012 – 6:59 am

The Great Spousal Unit talks about how, sometimes when I have those low blood sugar moments, I turn into someone she doesn’t know (unlike the Snickers commercials, where you turn into someone you do know). She says that I go to a different place. She doesn’t know where I’ve gone, she just wants me to come back.

So now when I think of going hypo, I think of going to that place on the other side of the tracks, where I don’t always visit. And since “hypoglycemia”, or “hypoglycemic episodes”, is way too sanitary to describe what happens in those moments, I’ve been thinking that a geographical reference might describe it better.

For instance, I live in Baltimore, so I might say that I “Dundalked” last weekend while I was working in the yard (sorry everyone from Dundalk– I really love your little hamlet… but I don’t visit often). When I lived in Cincinnati, I could’ve said that I “Newported” yesterday, and man, did it suck. If I still lived in Columbus, Georgia, I could’ve apologized for being late… but that early morning trip to “Phenix City” really knocked me down.

If we wanted to be a little more generic, we could simply say that we crossed the state line. “I crossed the state line last night, and it took me a long time to get back. Wow, I am so tired this morning”.

Maybe if we add a directional point of view, we could come up with something that could be descriptive for both hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia. Imagine this exchange between a patient and their endocrinologist:

Endo: “So, have you experienced any bad south of the border incidents in the last 90 days?”

Patient: “No, but I went north of the border a couple of weeks back. Bent the cannula during a set change. After some failed rage bolusing, I knew something had to be wrong, so I changed the set again. Took me most of the day to come back in-state.”

You know, I kinda like that south/north of the border idea. That Endo question is so sexy, it almost makes you want to say yes, no? If you were to break away from the clinical definition of hypo- or hyper-glycemia, how would you describe it?
 
 
 

By StephenS | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

No D Day. The other thing that really matters.

October 1, 2012 – 7:18 am

You read that right… thanks to George Simmons at Ninjabetic.com, October 1st is known in our world as:

That means that I have permission (like I really need it) to talk about something non-diabetes today. So what would I write about if I didn’t write about my diabetes? Probably the only other thing that really matters right now:

Baseball.

And if we’re talking baseball, really, we can only talk about the two Teams That Really Matter.

The First Team that Really Matters: The Cincinnati Reds

Just a sample of my Reds memorabilia: Cincinnati Magazine featuring The Great Eight on the cover… A 50’s-era replica white hat with Red wishbone C… The red, white and blue hat that gets worn on Memorial Day & Independence Day… one of the green jerseys the team used to wear on St. Patrick’s Day (note the shamrock on the shoulder)… a ticket from 1993 and 2012… an Eric Davis commemorative plate (circa 1988)… my Reds flip-flops… and the Reds Mr. Potato Head kit.

You may be thinking, “Hey, a guy from Baltimore? A Reds fan?”. Here’s Why:

The Great Spousal Unit and I grew up in Cincinnati, during the days of the Big Red Machine. That team won five division championships, four National League championships, and two World Series championships in just seven years. Even today, Maureen and I can recite the names of The Great Eight from those championships. Probably, in their order in the batting lineup. Pete Rose, Ken Griffey (Ken Griffey Sr. for you youngsters), Hall of Famer Joe Morgan, George Foster, Hall of Famer Tony Perez, Hall of Famer Johnny Bench, Dave Concepcion, and Cesar Geronimo. In addition, I was at the ballpark when the team captured the National League West crown in 1990. I was there on Fountain Square downtown, celebrating after that win with about 20 others in the rain. I was there again after the National League Championship victory over Pittsburgh, with about 1,000 others. And I was there yet again after the four game sweep of Oakland in the World Series, with about 10,000 others. I’d like to be there the next time the Reds win the championship.

How will the Reds finish? I don’t know. But they’ve already won the National League Central division (Major League Baseball went to 3 divisions per league in 1994, and the Reds moved From the NL West to the newly formed Central division). There are several things in their favor this year. Let’s list them:

1. The Reds pitching is much better than in 2010, the last time they won the division. The postseason pitching rotation will probably include Johnny Cueto (side note: The Great Spousal Unit tells me that Johnny Cueto can’t be his real name. I assured her that not only is his name really Johnny Cueto, he has a faithful clubhouse assistant named Hadji), Matt Latos, and Homer Bailey, who pitched a no-hitter Friday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Not the worst, but not the best post-season rotation ever. Which leads me to:

2. No other team has an overpowering starting rotation. The Nationals have a couple of good starters (really good, in fact). The Giants are dangerous with Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum. But who really has more than one pitcher that everyone fears this year? Maybe the Tigers, if the Reds get to the World Series. But that’s about it.

3. The Reds lineup is better than it’s been in years. Any discussion of the Reds has to begin with Joey Votto, who is an All-World first baseman. Next to him in the infield is Brandon Phillips, who is maybe (probably) the best second baseman in the NL. Add in guys like rookie Zach Cozart playing shortstop, reclamation project Ryan Ludwick in left field, the fleet-footed Drew Stubbs in center, Jay Bruce playing right field, and rookie Devin Mesoraco catching. Throw in veteran Scott Rolen and amazing fill-in Todd Frazier, and you’ve got a pretty deep squad that really has a chance this year.

Which brings me to:

The Second Team that Really Matters: The Baltimore Orioles

My Orioles memorabilia: Orioles replica jersey… O’s warm-up jacket… tickets from 2004 and 2007… a hat from 2004… and a replica 1966 Orioles hat.

The formerly sad-sack, punching bag of the American League Baltimore Orioles. What an amazing turnaround. For the first time in fifteen seasons, the Orioles will finish with a winning record. As of today, the Orioles are tied at the top of the American League East division with some other team that plays in New York. People around here are super-excited to see the Birds at the top of the standings again.

How will the Orioles finish? The good news is that the Orioles just clinched at least a wild card berth in the postseason. Unlike the Reds, the Orioles have been racking up wins with an unlikely group of characters and lots of extra-inning victories. In fact, the Orioles have won 16 straight extra-inning games. Do you know how unlikely that is? And how’s this for a stat? The Orioles, when leading after seven innings, have won 72 without losing any this year. That tells you that the Orioles have a great bullpen. The lineup has seen a number of guys come and go throughout the year. The front office has made nearly one transaction per day the entire season. Nevertheless, the chemistry among the squad has been remarkable. However they finish, the fans here in Baltimore have been enjoying a season that no one will soon forget.

It’s been fun writing this non-diabetes post! Thanks George. If this isn’t enough non-D stuff for you, check out the other posts at http://www.ninjabetic.com/nodday2012
 
 
 

By StephenS | Posted in Non-D Day | Tagged , | Comments (2)